Grip for cable-railway cars



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. L. HARRIS.

GRIP FOR CABLE RAILWAY CARS. No. 375,997. v Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

, N. PETER5. Pholo-Lxlhogmpher. Wflshinglnn o. c.

(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' B. L. HARRIS.

GRIP FOR CABLE RAILWAYOARS. No. 375,997. Patented Jan.

v 1527211121115 zamrzf/ QM 4WAT71 "v/ Zu h PETERS. PhuloLflhcgraphar, Washm lon, D. c.

Figs. 3 and 4, whose front platform is indicated UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFIC BRADNER L. HARRIS, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO JAMES B. LEHMER, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

GRIP FOR CABLE-RAILWAY CARS.-

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,997, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed August 8, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRADNER L. HARRIS, a citizenof the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Grips for Cable-Railway Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention is an improvement on the grip for which on the 11th day of April, 1887, I filed ""an application for patent, said application being numbered Serial 284,447.

The features of myimprovement will be uuderstood from the description herein contained, and by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of my application, in. which Figure 1 is a side view of the frame in which the gripping mechanism is held, and shows the grip engaged with the cable. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the grip disengaged from the cable. Fig. 3 is'a partial view of a car with my grip mechanism attached, and shows how it can be operated with alever. Fig. 4 is also a partial view of a car, showing the platform provided with a wheel, spindle, or pinion properly engaging with a rack on the main under lever, whereby the grip mechanism is operated, instead of by the method shown in Fig. 3.

Referring by letter to the various parts, A represents the grip-frame, which is fastened in position on the under side of the car D,

by D. The lower portion of this grip-frame runs in the slotted rail R, and extends down into the cable-tunnel T beneath the said railR.

G is a horizontal lever connected at its front end to an upright operating-lever, U, Fig. 3, capable of being workedback and forth and of engaging with toothed segment Q, though said lever G may be actuated through the medium of a hand-wheel, \V, properly at tached thereto, substantially in the manner indicated in my previous application herein referred tot-hatis to say, through the medium of spindle w, pinion g, and rack g, as shown in Fig. 4. The rear end of lever G is connected to the lever H by means of a bolt, 1. The bolt J, also in the head-plate of the frame, acts Serial No. 246,394. (No model.)

as a fulcrum on which the lever H operates. The lower end of this lever H isconnected to levers or arms M N by means of the bolt P. The outer ends of levers M N are loosely pivoted and connected to levers S O by means of 5 cable Y between the bindingwheels K L and the carrying-wheels B C will be more secure.

It will be observed that the wheels K L are larger in diameter than the wheels B O. This is for the purpose of affording a greater hearing surface, so that the binding will be more readily effected.

X is one of the guard-plates, of which there 7 are two, the other not being visible in the drawings, it being on the other side of the frame. Both of these guardplates are fastened in position by rivets or bolts,as indicated, and they, in connection with cross-plate G, hold and guide the wheels B O and K L in position and prevent them from assuming lateral movements, especially when curves are being turned such as would throw them or any of the other parts out of gear.

Between the guard or guide plates X is firmly bolted agrooved bar, which is indicated by the dotted lines marked a a. The object of this bar is to afford a bed for the cable while it is gripped or being gripped and prevent its being bent to that degree as will endanger its breaking or snapping. This is illustrated in Fig. 1,Where the cable is seen but very slightly bent, and is prevented from sinking any farther than the bed of the bar. 5

a 0 are frictionrollers attached to an offset on each side of the frame A. The function of these rollers is to prevent any part of the frame above the rail R from striking it should the car teeter or tilt, as is often the-case, thus protectit o ing the frame and its affixed mechanism from injury for should the car so tilt either front or rear, the force thereof would be lessened by the rollers n 0 sliding along the rails.

Having explained in detail the various parts, I will now describe the operation of my grip. Ve will suppose the cable is disengaged from the grip, as seen in Fig. 2, and it is desired to effect a connection, the cable Y being traveling in the direction as indicated by the arrow. The lever or wheel connection affixed to lever G is operated, drawing the latter forward, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. This movement causes the inclination of lever H, its top part to the front, the lower part to the rear, carrying with it the levers M N. This operation will actuate the levers S 0, so as to throw them forward, which, being effected, causes the wheels K L to come in contact with the cable, as shown in Fig. 1. As the force is continued the wheel K will be drawn over the cable, its center passing the center of wheel B, while wheel L does not pass the center of wheel 0, but effects the wedging of the cable before that point is reached. 1n the one case (that of K) the fully-exerted pressure of the cable is in one directionto the leftwhile in the other the pressure is directed to the right, thus insuring a double force acting contrarily. According to the force exerted by the operator, the wedging of the cable between the carryingwheels B O and the binding-wheels K L will be in a greater or less degree, the greater the force the stronger the grip, and this continues until it gets to that point where further wedging is prevented through the iustrumentality of the grooved bar held between the guard plates X, the cable lying in its bed. When the cable is to be released from the grip, the reverse movement of the mechanism takes place, the various parts assuming the positions indicated in Fig. 2 by the arrows.

In the use of a grip such as I have shown and described I efl'ect a positive hold on the cable without injuring it, for while the gripping is being cll'ected the binding and carrying wheels will revolve as the cable travels and take from it that friction which otherwise would cut or snap the strands of which the cable is composed, and they will continue to so revolve until the wedging becomes such as to prevent further operation or progress of the mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a grip for cable'railway cars, the lever G, actuated by an operatiuglever or wheel connection, and attached to lever H, in combination with levers M N and S O, the two latter carrying binding-wheels K L, whereby the cable Y is held between them and the carrying-wheels B O, or released therefrom, the whole being arranged and mounted upon a suitable frame, substantially as shown and described.

2. In cable gripping and releasing mechanism, the carrying-wheels B G, a grooved bar for supporting the cable, which bar is held between the guardplates X, in combination with the wedging-wheels K L, carried and actuated by levers S O, which in turn are operated by connected levers M N through levers H G, said levers being properly fulcru med and supported ona suitable frame designed to run in the slotted rail It, substantially in the manner shown and described, and for the purposes specified. v

3. A grip supporting frame, A, providedon its front and rear ends with friction-rollers n 0 and holding cable-wheels B C, in combination with levers S O and their binding-wheels, which by suitable hand mechanism are operated through the instrnmentality of levers M N H G, arranged substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

4. A car provided with a frame, as A, adapted to run in a slotted rail over a cabletunnel,which frame'is provided with carrying wheels B G and a grooved bar for the reception of the cable, in combination with a series of operating connected levers, as S, O, M. N, H, and G, the two former carrying clinching wheels K L, all of said levers being properly pivoted and operated through the medium of a lever or by means of a hand-wheel properly attached thereto,all substantially as shown and described.

5. In a cable grip, the cross guide or guard bars X, having between them a grooved bedplate for supporting the cable, in combination with carrying wheels B C and clinchingwheels K L, carried on levers S O, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

G. The guard or guide plate G, attached to frame A, the levers S 0, supported on said plate by bolts E F, and carrying clinchingwheels K L, in combination with cable-carrying wheels 13 O and a cable bed held between guards X, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

BRADNER L. HARRIS.

Witnesses:

\V. ELLwooD WYNXE, BERNARD J. Wanwnoarr. 

